Latest news with #Israeli-initiated
Epoch Times
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Noem Meets Netanyahu as Head of US-Backed Gaza Aid Foundation Quits
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 25, as the head of a Washington-backed foundation set to distribute aid in Gaza through an Israeli-initiated plan resigned. Netanyahu's office posted a
Dubai Eye
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Gaza humanitarian group is a 'distraction' from what is needed, UN says
The work of a US-backed private humanitarian organisation tasked with distributing aid in Gaza is a distraction from what is needed, such as the opening of crossing points, a UN spokesperson said on Tuesday. The GHF, which began as an Israeli-initiated plan and has drawn criticism from the United Nations and others, said on Monday it began distributing supplies in Gaza. This follows an Israeli blockade for 11 weeks that was only partially lifted in recent days and that prompted a famine warning from a global hunger monitor and international criticism. "We do not participate in this modality for the reasons given. It is a distraction from what is actually needed (...)," Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) told a Geneva briefing, calling for the reopening of all crossings. He also called for an end to Israeli restrictions on the type of aid being allowed to enter the enclave, which he said was being "cherry picked" and did not always match needs. Israel is in charge of vetting all aid entering Gaza and regularly rejects a wide array of items it considers could be put to military use by Hamas. It says the new system is aimed at separating aid from Hamas, which it accuses of stealing and using food to impose control over the population, a charge rejected by Hamas, which says it protects aid convoys from gangs of armed looters. Juliette Touma, communications director of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, said that it had large medical shipments waiting that have been denied entry into Gaza. "We have over 3,000 trucks, not only of food, but also medicines that are lining up in places like Jordan, like Egypt, that are waiting for the green light to go in, and they're carrying medicines and that is expiring soon," she said.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How will Gaza aid distribution work under controversial U.S.-backed group? Here's what we know
In the wake of the resignation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation chief on Monday, questions have arisen surrounding the controversy behind the U.S.-backed group that has drawn criticism and widespread condemnation from other aid agencies operating in the territory. Who is behind this newly-formed humanitarian organization, and what is this group expected to do? Why is it considered so controversial? And why did the head of the group suddenly resign, just before the new aid efforts were set to begin in the war-torn enclave? The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), said it began operations this week. On Tuesday, the GHF said Hamas caused delays in civilians accessing the distribution site, but "normal operations" have since resumed with 8,000 food boxes distributed so far, according to a statement. This comes after a nearly three-month-long complete blockade on medical, fuel and food supplies imposed by Israel, that was only partially lifted in recent days, following international criticism and a famine warning from a global hunger monitor. Here's what we know about the organization, how its new aid distribution plan will work and the criticism it is facing. What is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation? The U.S.-backed GHF was established in February in Switzerland, according to the Geneva commercial registry. The organization is the linchpin of a new aid system that would wrest distribution away from aid groups led by the United Nations, which have carried out a massive operation moving food, medicine, fuel, tents and other supplies across Gaza since the war began in October 2023. The group, which began as an Israeli-initiated plan and was approved by Israel to take over aid distribution in Gaza, said it aimed to start work by the end of May. Israel has said it will facilitate the GHF's work without being involved in aid deliveries. It's unclear who is funding the GHF. It claims to have more than $100 million US in commitments from a European Union government but has not named the donor. The U.S. and Israel have said they are not funding it. On Sunday, Swiss authorities said they were exploring whether to open a legal investigation into the GHF's activities, after Trial International, a Switzerland-based NGO, submitted a request for a probe into GHF's aid plan. The NGO said it had filed two legal submissions asking Swiss authorities to investigate whether the Swiss-registered GHF complies with Swiss law and international humanitarian law. The group plans to centralize distribution through hubs. It says each of its initial four hubs would serve meals for roughly 300,000 people and says it will eventually be able to meet the needs of two million people. The GHF said it will create more hubs within 30 days, including in northern Gaza, but did not specify their exact locations. Aid will be delivered with the help of private subcontractors transporting supplies in armoured vehicles from the Gaza border to the hubs, where they will also provide security. WATCH | WHO warns of starvation and famine in Gaza earlier this month: Also, GHF has said each meal it distributes would have 1,750 calories. That is below the 2,100-calorie per day standard for meals in emergency situations used by the UN's World Health Organization, UNICEF and the World Food Program. Satellite photos from May 10 obtained by The Associated Press show what appear to be construction of the hubs. The photos show one in central Gaza, close to the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land held by Israeli troops. Three others are in the area of Rafah, south of the Morag Corridor, another military-held strip. Almost the entire population is currently in northern Gaza — where no hub is currently located — or in central Gaza. Palestinians would have to cross through Israeli military lines to reach the hubs near Rafah. Israel is in charge of vetting all aid entering Gaza and regularly rejects a wide array of items it claims could be put to military use by militant group Hamas. Israel said the new system is aimed at separating aid from Hamas, which it accuses of stealing and using food to impose control over the population. Hamas has rejected Israel's claim, saying it protects aid convoys from gangs of armed looters. The 19-month-long war was triggered after Hamas-led militants stormed Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's offensive has killed more than 53,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to its health authorities, and it has destroyed much of the territory, razing it to rubble. What prompted group's head to unexpectedly resign? Jake Wood, the executive director of the GHF, resigned on Monday. Wood said he stepped down because the group could not adhere "to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence." His unexpected and sudden departure underscores the confusion surrounding the foundation. WATCH | Head of GHF resigns as Israeli strikes kill dozens of Palestinians Monday: Until resigning, Wood, a U.S. military veteran and co-founder of a disaster relief group called Team Rubicon, was the face of GHF. It's unclear who will take over Wood's role at the foundation. A proposal circulated by the group earlier this month and obtained by the AP included several names, including the former director of the UN World Food Program, David Beasley. Neither Beasley nor GHF have confirmed his involvement. Why are other aid organizations opposing this group? The UN and other aid groups said the new plan will "weaponize aid" for Israel's military and political purposes. They say the change is simply not necessary, as a number of their own aid trucks remain at crossing points, not allowed to enter. The groups said under this new program, Israel would have power to determine who receives aid and would allow it to force the population to move to where aid is being distributed, emptying large parts of the territory. That would potentially violate international laws against forced displacement. "We cannot take part in a system that violates humanitarian principles and risks implicating us in serious breaches of international law," said Shaina Low, communication adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, a leading aid group operating in Gaza. WATCH | Gazans storm aid trucks after monthslong Israeli blockade: The UN said the private organization tasked with distributing aid in Gaza is a distraction from what is needed, such as the opening of crossing points, and has called the plan neither impartial nor neutral, adding that it will not be involved. The groups also say the GHF plan cannot possibly meet the needs of Gaza's large and desperate population. The UN and other aid groups "have shown absolutely that they can meet the needs of that population, when allowed to," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said Monday. "We need to just keep reverting back to what works." Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that under the aid mechanism, Gaza's population would eventually be moved to a "sterile zone" in Gaza's far south. He said it was for their protection while Israeli forces fight Hamas elsewhere. He also said once the Palestinians enter the area, "they don't necessarily go back." Israel also says that after Hamas is defeated, it will implement a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to relocate the territory's population outside Gaza, a proposal that has been widely condemned by international groups and rejected by Arab states. The human rights group Amnesty International has repeatedly accused Israel of violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and deliberately seeking to destroy Palestinian society. Israel has strenuously denied that allegation and said its sole purpose is to eradicate Hamas and the threat it poses to Israel. GHF said in a statement it is independent and apolitical and will not be part of any mass displacement.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Head of US-backed Gaza aid group resigns, saying he will not abandon ‘principles'
The head of a US-backed private humanitarian organisation that is tasked with distributing aid in Gaza using an Israeli-initiated plan has resigned, saying that the operation could not fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to 'humanitarian principles'. Related: 'One of the most heartbreaking tragedies': Gaza doctor's last goodbye before nine children killed in airstrike Jake Wood, the executive director, announced his resignation in a statement from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), adding fresh uncertainty to the operation's future. The foundation, which has been based in Geneva since February, has vowed to distribute 300m meals in its first 90 days of operation. But the United Nations and traditional aid agencies have already said they will not cooperate with the group, fearing it violates 'fundamental humanitarian principles' and breaches international law. The move comes as Israel intensified its air campaign in Gaza in recent days. Israeli strikes killed at least 52 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including 31 in a school turned shelter that was struck as people slept, igniting their belongings, according to local health officials. The strike on the school in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City also wounded more than 55 people, said Fahmy Awad, the head of the ministry's emergency service. He said a man and his five children were among the dead. Awad said the school was hit three times while people slept, setting their belongings ablaze. Footage circulating online showed rescuers struggling to extinguish fires and recovering charred military said it targeted a militant command and control centre inside the school that Hamas and Islamic Jihad used to gather intelligence for attacks. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in residential areas. On Sunday, Israeli attacks killed at least 38 more people, health officials in the Palestinian territory have said, bringing the death toll to more than 100 over the weekend. Related: Israeli strikes over past 24 hours killed at least 38 people in Gaza, Palestinian officials say The fresh offensive, which comes after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ended a ceasefire with Hamas in March, has been condemned by several European leaders who accused Israel of starving millions of civilians that are facing facing the risk of famine. Netanyahu said his plans for private US companies, such as the GHF, to deliver aid would prevent a humanitarian crisis, despite aid agencies and many governments saying such a crisis already exists. The GHF has emerged as international pressure mounts on Israel as malnutrition is spreading in Gaza, medics and aid workers in the devastated Palestinian territory have warned, with dozens of children dying from starvation in recent days. Wood said in the statement: 'Two months ago, I was approached about leading GHF's efforts because of my experience in humanitarian operations. Like many others around the world, I was horrified and heartbroken at the hunger crisis in Gaza and, as a humanitarian leader, I was compelled to do whatever I could to help alleviate the suffering.' Wood stressed that he was 'proud of the work I oversaw, including developing a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza'. But, he said, it had become 'clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon'. In a statement, the foundation's board said it was disappointed by Wood's departure, but vowed not to be deterred from efforts to reach the strip's entire population in coming weeks. 'Our trucks are loaded and ready to go,' it said, adding that GHF would begin direct aid delivery in Gaza from Monday to reach more than 1 million Palestinians by the end of the week. A spokesperson for the US state department said it remained supportive of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's plans to begin to deliver aid soon. Despite mounting international pressure that pushed Israel to lift a blockade on aid supplies in the face of warnings of looming famine, Netanyahu said last week that Israel would take control of the whole of Gaza. Wood called on Israel 'to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms' while also urging 'all stakeholders to continue to explore innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion, or discrimination'. UN officials have said the foundation's aid distribution plans would only foment forced relocation of Palestinians and more violence. That plan, which had been set to begin by the end of May, was initiated by Israel and involves private companies – instead of the UN and aid groups who have handled Palestinian aid for decades – transporting aid into Gaza to a limited number of so-called secure distribution sites, which Israel said would be in Gaza's south. Heads of household would be expected to collect boxes weighing up to 20kg with several days' supply of food and basic hygiene items like soap for their families. There is no provision for those too sick or weakened by famine to walk long distances across Gaza's ruined landscape with heavy loads. 'From what we have understood, the plan would increase the ongoing suffering of children and families in the Gaza Strip,' UN children's fund spokesperson Jonathan Crickx said earlier this month. 'How is a mother of four children, who has lost her husband, going to carry 20kg back to her makeshift tent, sometimes several kilometres away?' Crickx said. 'The most vulnerable people, including the elderly, people with disabilities, the sick and wounded, and orphans, will face huge challenges to access aid.' Israel has vowed to seize control of the entire Gaza and keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and until it returns the remaining 58 hostages – a third of them believed to be alive – from the 7 October 2023 attack that ignited the war. An Israeli official dismissed the latest ceasefire proposal from Hamas, saying no responsible government could accept such an agreement. It rejected the assertion by Hamas that the deal matched one proposed by the US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Gaza humanitarian group is a 'distraction' from what is needed, UN says
By Emma Farge GENEVA (Reuters) - The work of a U.S.-backed private humanitarian organization tasked with distributing aid in Gaza is a distraction from what is needed, such as the opening of crossing points, a U.N. spokesperson said on Tuesday. The GHF, which began as an Israeli-initiated plan and has drawn criticism from the United Nations and others, said on Monday it began distributing supplies in Gaza. This follows an Israeli blockade for 11 weeks that was only partially lifted in recent days and that prompted a famine warning from a global hunger monitor and international criticism. "We do not participate in this modality for the reasons given. It is a distraction from what is actually needed (...)," Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA) told a Geneva briefing, calling for the reopening of all crossings. He also called for an end to Israeli restrictions on the type of aid being allowed to enter the enclave, which he said was being "cherry picked" and did not always match needs. Israel is in charge of vetting all aid entering Gaza and regularly rejects a wide array of items it considers could be put to military use by militant group Hamas. It says the new system is aimed at separating aid from Hamas, which it accuses of stealing and using food to impose control over the population, a charge rejected by Hamas, which says it protects aid convoys from gangs of armed looters. Juliette Touma, communications director of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency, said that it had large medical shipments waiting that have been denied entry into Gaza. "We have over 3000 trucks, not only of food, but also medicines that are lining up in places like Jordan, like Egypt, that are waiting for the green light to go in, and they're carrying medicines and that is expiring soon," she said.
